A Lord Avenue man burned his hands trying to save four pets from an early-morning, first-floor fire that resulted in the death of the pets.

The man and woman residents of the two-story wood-frame house escaped out a bedroom window in the back of the house after the woman woke to a burning smell and found the room full of smoke just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 19.

Realizing that the living room in the front of the house was in flames, the man tried to reenter in the unsuccessful attempt to rescue a cat, a rabbit, and two ferrets. The man suffered burns to his hands, according to Fire Chief Greg Rogers, as well as respiratory problems and was sent first to Bayonne Medical Center, and later to St. Barabbas Medical Center for treatment.

No firefighters were injured as a result of the fire, which the department put out within minutes of their arrival at the site.

The fire was reported at about 2:56 a.m. and declared under control at about 3:03 a.m., Rogers said.

“The arriving fire companies were confronted by heavy smoke and fire blowing out the front bay windows,” Rogers said. “This was extending out onto the porch and up the exterior façade as well. Firefighters quickly advanced the hoses, and found the fire fully involved the first floor living room in the front of the building and was advancing up the exterior.”

While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Rogers said initial investigation shows that the fire started in the living room near the couch.

“The firefighters did a great job as usual,” Rogers said.

New MUA alternative named

Mayor Mark Smith named Michael Furmaniak as an alternative member of the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority for a term ending Feb. 1, 2016.

Former judge hired to review cases of employee misconduct

The City Council approved the hiring of Kevin G. Callahan, a retired judge from Jersey City, to provide services to the city that would include conducting investigations into alleged employee misconduct. The contract would pay Callahan $150 per hour not to exceed $25,000.